ashlt



(No Model.) I

L. E. ASHLEY.

DITGHING AND G-RADING SOR-APER.

No. 433,116. Patented July 29, 1890 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUCIUS E. ASHLY, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ASACLARK, OF SAME PLACE.

DlTCHlNG AND GRADlNG SCRAPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 433,116, dated July 29,1890.

Application filed December 9, 1889. Serial No. 333,140. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUOIUs E. AsHLY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Stockton, in the county of San Joaquin and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Ditchingand Grading Scrapers; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accom panying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to an improvement in ditching and grading scrapers;and it consists in a frame of a peculiar construction having attached toit a two-edged reversible scraperblade.

The purpose of this invention is to improve the construction of theditching and grading scraper for which Letters Patent No. 87 6,022,dated January 3, 1888, were granted to me, so as to make it moreconvenient in use and more eifective in operation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my entirescraper. Fig. 2 is a detail section taken through line Z Z, Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a detail section on line X X, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A is the main body of the vehicle portion of the scraper, and consistsof a large hollow iron tube.

B are the front wheels, and B the hind wheels.

0 is the front axle, and C the hind axle, such axles being suitablyattached to the tube A. The position of the wheels and axles ispreferably controlled by devices shown in my Letters Patent abovereferred to.

D is an operators platform just behind the front wheels 3 D, a rearplatform in front of the hind wheels, and D a smaller platform a shortdistance in the rear of the platform-D. All of these platforms aresuitably attached to the tube A.

The tube A is used principally by reason of its being round for thepurpose, as will be hereinafter shown, and also because it furnishesboth a strong, light, and cheap body.

The scraper blade or shoe E is set obliquely to the tube A, and isprovided with two edges. It is attached to the tube A at its front endby a rod a, pivotally attached at one end to the front end of the bladeE, and at its other end to the lug of a hanger Z), the box of whichloosely encircles the tube A, so as to permit of turning thereon justbehind the platform D. A rod F is similarly pivotally attached at itslower end to the front end of the blade E and at its upper end to alever F, pivotally attached at its foot to the platform D. This lever Fis furnished with a spring-detent to engage with the notches of asegment of a circle G, which is attached to the platform D. The rear ofthe blade E is attached to the tube A by a two-part diagonal brace L,the inner ends of which are attached to a hanger K, the box of whichloosely encircles the tube A. A connecting-rod J is pivotally attachedat one end to the outer end of the blade E and at the other end to thehanger K, and engages with a lever I, having its fulcrum on a verticalplate H, to which it is attached by a pin i, there being a plate H ateach end of the transverse bar H, which is secured at its center to thetube A by clips.

The blade E is raised and lowered by means of the levers F and I, andits general working movements are controlled by the operators on therespective platforms.

If it is desired'to change the blade E from one side to the other of thetube A, the rods a and F at the foot of the blade are detachedtherefrom. The lever I is detached from the plate 11 by removing the pin'i. The blade E is then turned over to the reverse side of the tube A,the lever I being attached to the plate H on the corresponding end ofthe bar H, and the rods a and F are again attached to the blade E.

A lock-rod M is pivotally attached to the hanger K, so that if desiredto keep the blade E rigidly in position the rod M may be turned underthe tube A, and a pin on inserted through a vertical hole in the tube A,so that the contact of the pin m with the rod M will prevent the blade Efrom rising off the ground.

The draft attachment consists of a rod N, attached at its rear end tothe front of the tube A, and has a ring 0 at its forward end, and aguide or loop P, attached to the tube A and embracing rod N.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a ditching andgrading machine, the combination, with the body composed of a round tubeA, provided with suitable wheels, axles, and platforms, of the two-edgedreversible blade E, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, substantially as described, of the body A,suitably-mounted platforms D D D and the draft apparatus consisting ofthe rod N, provided with the ring 0 and the guide P.

3. The combination, substantially as described, of the body A, theplatforms D D D the blade E, set obliquely to the body A and attached tothe body A at its front end by the rods a F and hanger b and a suitablehandling-lever, and at its rear end by the diagonal two-part brace L andconnecting-rod J, attached to the hanger K, encircling the body A, and asuitable handling-lever.

4. The combination, substantially as described, of the tube A,suitablymounted, the blade E, set obliquely to the tube A and flexibly attachedat its front and rear ends to the tube A by means of the hangers b and Kand suitable connecting-rods, the rear lever I, removably fulcrumed uponone or the other of two plates H at the ends of the crossbar H, attachedto the tube A, and the lock-rod M, attached to the hanger K and engagingwith the pin m, inserted through a vertical hole in the tube A.

In testimony whereof Iaflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LU'CIUS E. ASHLY.

Witnesses:

JOSHUA B. WEBSTER, JAMES T. SUMMER ILLE.

